"Get 20,000-25,000 Votes Deleted": Punjab BJP's Renu Kashyap Causes Political Storm

A political storm has hit Punjab over a viral social media video featuring BJP State Secretary Renu Kashyap. The footage purportedly shows Kashyap saying, "Get the SIR done, get 20,000-25,000 votes deleted, and get your own MLA elected." The Congress has demanded action over the clip, while local authorities have launched an investigation into its authenticity.

Kashyap, who also serves as the Dinanagar Assembly constituency in-charge, faces intense scrutiny as the district administration seeks to establish whether the digital content is genuine or has been tampered with.

Kashyap Defends Her Remarks

Kashyap responded to the controversy, saying the viral clip was being presented out of context. She maintained that it was "not a public statement but part of a private meeting with party workers and supporters" where the discussion was focused on the rights of genuine voters and the voter verification process.

She asserted that no political leader has the authority to add or delete names from the electoral rolls. "Neither I nor anyone else can get anyone's vote added or deleted. The entire process is carried out by the Election Commission as per the law."

Clarifying her reference to "20,000-25,000 votes," Kashyap said she was referring only to bogus or illegally registered voters.

"My remarks were about fake votes. If someone has obtained voter registration fraudulently or has votes registered at multiple places, those names should be removed. I never said genuine votes should be deleted," she said.

She also alleged that the viral clip may have been selectively edited or manipulated using artificial intelligence and said the matter should be investigated.

Official Probe Initiated

Dinanagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gagandeep Singh said the administration has taken suo-motu cognisance of the viral video and is examining whether it is genuine or has been tampered with. He said an explanation has also been sought from Kashyap to understand the context of her remarks.

Officials started the investigation without receiving any formal complaint. Future steps will depend on what the inquiry reveals, Singh said.

Congress Demands Action

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring criticized the BJP over the footage and urged the Election Commission to step in. Writing on X, Warring said Kashyap's comments about deleting 20,000-25,000 votes through the SIR process to help the BJP was "deeply disturbing" and raised "serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process".

Warring said, "No matter how hard the BJP tries, Congress will not allow even a single genuine vote to be taken away. Every eligible voter has a constitutional right to vote, and we will stand guard to protect that right."

The Congress leader also called on the poll body to review the video quickly to guarantee that the voting system stays "free, fair and impartial".